


Stargazers

by im_the_king_of_the_ocean



Series: Rarepairs Week 2K18 [3]
Category: Trollhunters (Cartoon)
Genre: Ajaire, F/F, Girlfriends - Freeform, Sapphic, Stargazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-24
Updated: 2018-10-24
Packaged: 2019-08-06 22:58:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16396697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_the_king_of_the_ocean/pseuds/im_the_king_of_the_ocean
Summary: Claire and Aja consider how they're going to cope with the fact that one day Aja will have to return home to her planet and they'll be separated.





	Stargazers

How unfair is it to fall in love with someone from the stars?

A past version of Claire would have adored a chance like this.The romance.The tragedy.Just like a play, it would be.

But, in a play, one’s heart wouldn’t get broken for real.It would all be pretend.A story made up to entertain an audience.Nothing more.

Nothing, _nothing,_ like this.

Claire wraps her arms around Aja’s shoulders and pulls her in close.Maybe, if she holds onto her long enough, Aja will never go.She’ll stay.Here, with Claire.For the rest of their lives or, at least, for a long time.For such a long time that Claire will never have to think about it ending ever.

Together, with Aja using Claire as a pillow and their fingers interlocked, the girls gaze up at the endless night sky.It’s the night of a new moon, so there’s nothing but stars and constellations.

They don’t talk.There’s not much to talk about really, even if there is quite a lot.It’s nothing that either wants to be said.

Aja needs to go home.She’s a princess.There’s a planet out there, beyond the dark, thatshe belongs on.

A planet that Claire doesn’t.Her home is here, on Earth.It’s not something she’s ever regretted until now.

Theirs is a romance neither expected, but neither wants to let go of either.

“That one,” Aja finally breaks the silence.Her slender, pale finger point up at a star cluster almost directly above them.“My home planet is just beyond that constellation.”

“Oh.”Claire bits her lip.She’s glad Aja can’t see her face without turning her head.“It’s not _that_ far I guess.”

Still farther than any human, a species who has never made it past their own moon, has ever gone.

“We can keep in contact.Back home, we have these communicator devices.They…they can transmit over very long distances.”Aja pauses.“Though I’ve never tried to use one between planets before.”She rushes to add, “It will be an experiment then!A scientific inquiry.We can make it work, yes?”

Claire bites back a sigh.“Aja, we can’t.I-I don’t want it to be one of those things were we try but then we slowly stop because something comes up or we forget or I don’t know.There’s so many ways that it could go wrong and I…” _I don’t want to realize one day that I’ve fallen out of love with you.That I’ve forgotten what it felt like to be with you.To hear your laugh._ “I…I don’t want to lose you.Not like that.”

“Claire.”Aja’s sounds like she’s going to say more, but she doesn’t.

Crickets chirp in the distance.Somewhere a car goes by.

Time ticks on.Like an inevitable countdown clock.One that maybe was always there.

* * *

_It’s her first week after coming back from New Jersey and things still feel off to Claire._

_She and Jim parted on amicable terms.They were still friends.They’d just realized that what they had didn’t transcend that, which was surprisingly fine.Claire liked Jim.He was a good guy, cute.She was glad to have him as a friend, but that was all.It was weird how okay that felt._

_Though, it wasn’t the only thing that felt out of place.Claire had come back to Arcadia because she didn’t really fit in New Jersey.But, in the time she’d spent away, Arcadia had changed too.The city had moved on.Without her.Even her parents.They trusted her more now.Respected her judgment.Let her go out on her own.It was weird._

_Everything was weird._

_Did she even belong here anymore?_

_Truth was, Claire wasn’t really sure.She’d put so much into being the best of students, the best daughter.Into proving herself as worthy and capable to the trolls.Now that she didn’t need those things, she felt lost.Adrift.Aimless._

_What was she supposed to do now?_

_The answer had come in the form of a tall, thin girl who ran into her one sunny day.The girl said something to her, but Claire didn’t manage to catch it then.She found herself being pulled away on what she’ll soon find out is an adventure._

_Aja needed help with a project and she elected to rope Claire into the endeavor.Not that Claire minded.Eventually.After Aja explained a little._

_They start to spend a lot of time together after that.First, because Aja said Claire has the type of patience she needs in an assistant.Then, because they can hardly bear to spend much time apart.Bit by bit, Claire begins to feel just a little less lost._

_Aja became like a star to her.A bright, fiery ball she can orbit around, but one far enough away that she can maintain her own freedom too.Something she doesn’t necessarily need to survive, but something she can hardly stand the idea of being without._

* * *

Now? Now, she’s losing Aja.For real.Claire blinks back tears.What would that make her?An asteroid destined to float through the cold expanse of space with no trajectory?She knows she has purpose—worth—without Aja.At the same time, it feels like, if the princess goes away, a huge part of Claire will go too and never come back.

Claire doesn’t want that to happen, but she knows she can’t prevent it.

Unless.

“Take me with you?”Claire barely whispers the question.It feels forbidden.Like she’s breaking some sacred rule.But if she traveled far away for love once, nothing’s stopping her from doing it a second time.

Aja gazes at her steadily.She blinks.“I-I don’t want to take you away from your home.”It was a lie.Claire could read Aja so easily these days.Aja wants to part just as much as she does.

“I want to, Aja.” Claire hesitates.“If you, if you want me to?”

“I never want to be without you, Claire.But won’t you miss Earth?Your life here?I cannot take that away from you.”Aja’s voice, usually so upbeat and happy, falls quiet and sad.“I love you and that is why I cannot take your home from you.”

Claire cups Aja’s cheek in her hand, before wiping away her girlfriend’s tears.“I will miss you more.”Maybe she’s being young and naive.Foolish.Maybe she’s rushing this.Romeo and Juliet rushed their love and look how well that ended for them.

But, neither she nor Aja were in a play.This is real life.

And in real life, one had to make hard choices so they wouldn’t live with the regret of not making them later.

“Please, Aja, let me come with you.”

“Okay,” Aja finally whispers.“But I will make sure you always have a ship ready to take you back to Earth.Just in case.”

Claire doesn’t argue with that.

Softly, hesitantly, as if it’s the first time again, they kiss.


End file.
